AVI Latin America was in the last version of InfoComm held in Las Vegas, United States, between June 18 and 20 and there we had the opportunity to talk with several professionals in the audio, video and lighting industry about the present and future of these markets in the region. While the winds of global economic crisis are not yet hitting these industries and progress has been made in education and investment, the price factor in technology acquisition is still a negative aspect within the industry.
Although it was difficult in the past contest to talk with all the representatives of the market, we had the opportunity to obtain very interesting appreciations that can help to better understand the paths that the market may have in our countries in the coming months.
One of the segments that has grown the most in recent years is that of mounts, which has advanced hand in hand with the development of screens and projectors. In this field, the main trend observed is the ease of installation, according to Eduardo Viteri, international account manager of Chief Manufacturing, a Milestone AV Technology brand specialized in the professional segment. Viteri added that "professional installers, who make up the majority of InfoComm visitors, currently require assembly solutions that are quick to install and do not require many tools for assembly, as this becomes productivity for them since the less time they take to make an assembly, more they will be able to perform in a day."
Another of the professionals interviewed was Adrián Morel, general director of Lighthouse Technologies for Latin America, who offered his opinion about a trend increasingly implemented in the region: LED screens. In this regard, Morel pointed out that in the region this technology is increasingly being used outdoors to replace posters and billboards, since this technology is resistant to weathering, in addition to being able to work 24 hours a day. "For indoors, screens larger than plasmas are being manufactured, technology that has limitations in size; these solutions are being applied primarily for what are known as audience shows," Morel said.
On the other hand, a very marked reality within the market is the interest of the end user in solutions of the type do it yourself or devices that can be quickly installed and put into operation without the assistance of a technician. This was expressed by Katia While, manager for Latin America of LifeSize (video conference in high definition), who said that unlike what was seen previously when the systems were very difficult to install and operate, currently equipment of easy manipulation is demanded and that is what the company's solutions point towards.
Juan Montoya, sales manager of Bosch Communications for Central and South America, said that the integration of solutions in both homes and commercial locations is one of the realities that are evident in Latin America. "The client has shown a clear need towards full integration between all its solutions, an element that we are adopting for the development of our teams," Montoya said.
Finally, the interviewees referred to what the region needs to be a market as competitive as North America, Europe and Southeast Asia. This is how Morel referred to it: "what the region needs is to improve more in terms of the quality of purchase, because in this way the projects will yield more in the long term."
